[AT] Time to 'fess up

[Gilbert Schwartz]

When I think back to some of the more close calls I've had, I really am 
somewhat amazed that I'm still alive and walking upright. Some of the most 
stupid things I've done resulted in nothing more than grins with no thought 
of how really dumb the act was.
One of the really dumb moves, (with a tractor) was dragging a heavy red oak 
log. A log heavy enough to make the tractor wheels crawl all of the time. 
While moving I turned DOWNHILL to go around a tree. The log started rolling 
down hill and jerked the rear of the tractor sideways. The downhill rear 
wheel dropped/slid off a large, flat moss covered rock into a hole about ten 
inches deep and turned over to it's left side. I tried to push off but my 
right knee got caught on the hand clutch. When the tractor stopped rolling 
it was near upside down with it's right rear wheel (still spinning from the 
engine still running), between my shoulder blades  with my chest pinned 
against a  smaller red cedar tree. The tire was quickly undressing me and 
raking my back with red cedar limbs from the cedar tree. Somehow, (don't ask 
me how), I got untangled and out of the pinning. The tractor continued to 
roll back onto it's wheels. I just stood there and realized I had on only my 
hat and boots. My coveralls and ALL other clothing was around my legs below 
my knees.
NOW, all of this sounds bad, and it was. I escaped with nothing more than 
some serious scratches down the middle of my back, and a bloody nose from it 
bouncing off that cedar.
The worst part of the entire incident was, VERA WAS STANDING THERE WATCHING 
THE WHOLE THING. It took several minutes to stop her screams. She still 
won't talk about it much.
Gil
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Spencer Yost" <yostsw at atis.net>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2004 4:47 PM
Subject: [AT] Time to 'fess up


>A destroyed cub engine and a damaged compact JD, I guess we all should
> 'fess up to some stupid mistakes to help us teach each other a few things.
>
> My Pacer's distributor adjusting lock nut came loose and the engine had
> drifted out of time.  This was while I was driving it to the local show.
> I limped in and parked it and went home and got tools.  I got a large
> socket, two extensions and a socket wrench and then fitted this through 
> the
> handcrank handle hole in the grill to slowly turn over the engine to #1
> TDC.  I turned the distributor until I got a spark at #1, and then pulled
> out the adjustable wrench to tighten the nut and reattached the spark plug
> cable.  The entire wrench apparatus was still attached to the crankshaft
> pulley nut when I got distracted by a bystander at the show.  My son, who
> was on the tractor and couldn't see the wrench asked if I was ready to 
> have
> him start it.  I absent-mindedly said yes and resumed the conversation.  I
> then heard the socket wrench spin around furiously as the tractor started.
> I turned around just in time to see the wrench just sort of fall off
> instead of fly into someone's head; thank God.  No damage to the sheet
> metal at all either fortunately.
>
> Interestingly, it was set to tighten, so supposedly the engine was turning
> in the direction that was the same as the wrench's setting for
> "click-neutral".  Theoretically the wrench should have just made a racket
> and stayed basically still.   However, the speed of the engine was enough
> to turn that thing around pretty quickly, - even in click-neutral - I am
> here to report.
>
> Lesson - Never let yourself get distracted and/or give direction with only
> half your mind engaged on the subject at hand when working with equipment.
> Very tough to do at a show and probably the most important time to do it.
>
> Spencer Yost
> Owner, ATIS
> Plow the Net!
> http://www.atis.net
>
>
>
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